Invincible
by Ani Sparrow
Summary: What if Sylar has another passenger during his 'road trip' This picks up after Building 26. Rated for strong language and mild sexual content. Possibly more Heroes characters in future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own any character from the series of Heroes, and neither do I make any monies from the writing of this story. It is purely for my, and hopefully your, enjoyment.

This story starts after episode 3.16: Building 26, when Sylar rescues Luke from the government agents.

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**Chapter one**

"Hey! What d'you think's going down?" Luke asked as they watched, from their car, a now familiar black van squeal to a halt outside a grocery store, and the back door burst open, spewing forth several black clad men, all armed.

"That," Sylar replied with a shrug. "Time to go..."

"Wait!" Luke urged. "They're gonna get that woman!"

"So? She's not our concern."

"She's obviously one of us," the youth argued. "And it'd be a chance to take out another team... just think, that'd be three nil to us."

"Ah, _me_ actually," Sylar corrected as he watched the scene unfold; the fear and panic of the slim, dark haired woman as she found herself surrounded by the men and then shot with a taser, and to his surprise he flinched as she jerked in reaction, then found a dark anger rising inside as she fell. "Bastards..." he muttered beneath his breath, but not soft enough to prevent his companion from hearing.

"So come on!" Luke pressed already halfway out of the door. "Let's get the bastards!"

"You get yourself caught, I am _not_ saving your ass again!" Sylar snapped, sighing heavily as Luke shot a microwave from his hand, towards the van. "Fucking kid..." he cursed, climbing out of the car and sending two of them men flying before running over, using both his telekinesis and electrical powers to kill the remaining men. He glowered at Luke as the youngster joined him, and sighed again at the crowd their activities had attracted. "Come on, _now _we're going."

"But what about her?" Luke asked, looking down at the unconscious woman. "We can't just leave her there; the crowd look like they could turn into a lynch mob. Besides, she's a babe, ain't she?"

Sylar looked again at the prone figure, taking in her elfin features, her auburn, shoulder length hair strewn around her face, and her slightly boyish figure.

"Freaks!" a voice in the crowd cried. "You're all God-damned freaks!"

"I'm _not_ leaving her!" Luke hissed, shooting an angry glare at the older man before bending down and trying to lift the dead weight of the woman.

"I should kill you at the first opportunity!" Sylar snarled in reply as he shoved Luke out of the way, hauled the woman over his shoulder, and headed back towards their car.

"Yeah, yeah; so you keep threatening," Luke sneered as he followed, sending a microwave pulse at a waste bin and melting it, laughing at the shocked reactions of the crowd who had been about to follow them.

Sylar put the woman on the back seat and jumped into the drivers seat, throwing the car into reverse almost before Luke had chance to shut his door.

"Hey! I almost fell out then!"

"Damn!" Sylar taunted. "Better luck next time, eh?"

"So, what d'you reckon she'll do to thank us for saving her life?" Luke grinned, glancing over his shoulder. "A threesome, huh?"

"A _what_?" Sylar exclaimed, looking at Luke and shaking his head. "A black eye, more than likely; for you, anyway."

"So, you admit she's a babe then?"

Sylar shook his head once more without replying, and concentrated on getting as far away from whatever nondescript town they had found themselves in, long before the police could give chase.

"Who the hell are you?" a voice demanded after a short time had passed. "And what the hell are you doing with me?"

"Hi; I'm Luke, this is Sylar. We rescued you from the hit squad!"

"The what?" the woman demanded, sitting up gingerly as a wave of nausea washed over her. "Stop the car!"

"No can do..." Sylar began.

"Stop, or you'll be cleaning puke!"

"Fuck!" he swore as he pulled over to the side of the road and watched as she ran out and dived behind some bushes, retching hard.

"You okay?" Luke asked as she re-appeared, wiping her mouth on her sleeve.

"Do I look it?" she snapped. "You go on, I'll take care of myself now."

"Sure, no problem, lady. It was a pleasure rescuing you..." Sylar remarked sarcastically.

"Yeah... whatever," she snorted, frowning at him.

"Those men were government agents targeting those with abilities," Sylar informed her. "So, what's yours?"

"Oooh... I wouldn't tell him if I were you," Luke chuckled. "He'll slice your head open."

"I'll fucking slice yours if you don't shut it!" Sylar snarled, glowering at the youth.

"What do you mean, abilities?" she evaded, backing away slowly.

"Don't play cute," Sylar sighed. "They only go after those with powers, and they know _exactly_ who has powers. So, what's yours?"

"Then they must've made a mistake this time, 'cos I don't have a _power_."

"Sure... one of mine is the ability to detect lies, and you are lying through your teeth." Sylar rolled his eyes as she turned to run, and stopped her with his telekinesis ability. He got out of the car and walked around her, slowly. "You mean do can't do anything like this?" he asked, his voice menacingly low. "Or this?" he asked, making a crackling ball of electricity appear in his hand.

"Some damned incentive for me to tell you!" she hissed through gritted teeth. "Go to hell!"

"That's pretty much assured," Sylar shrugged. "Can you fly, heal, phase through walls, turn metal into gold? What?" he demanded.

"Let me go and I'll show you," she sneered, straining against his hold, wanting nothing more than to punch him, hard.

"I'm not _that_ stupid..."

"Police! Freeze!"

"Shit!" Sylar cursed, releasing her and turning his power on the nearest of several police officers as Luke used his power to liquefy the weapon of one approaching him.

Megan Jackson stood, torn between wanting to jump into the car belonging to her would be rescuers and trying to escape, and helping them fight. '_Dammit!'_ she thought as she concentrated her power on two police cars parked next to each other. '_One good turn deserves another, I guess..._' Luke jumped as the cars shattered into tiny pieces, showering everyone with debris. She concentrated on the next car, deliberately avoiding human targets. She had accidentally killed several people before she had learned to control her ability, and had spent the subsequent months on the run. The sight of exploding bodies was not one she ever wanted to see again.

"That's useful..." Sylar remarked, glancing sideways at her with a smirk, as they continued to fend off the police officers until they either ran away or were dead.

"Who the hell are you?" Megan snarled, moving away from him. "Sylar, or something?"

"Ten out of ten," Sylar remarked, applauding in a sardonic manner.

"Fuck..."Megan gasped, going pale, then turning to run. She let out a scream partly of fear, partly of frustration as he caught her with his power once again. "So you rescued me just so you can cut me open? That's a good one, Sylar," she retorted with more confidence than she felt. "I just hope I'm worth all the effort."

"I'm sure you are..." Sylar crooned, a smile tugging the corners of his lips.

"Hey, man! You can't kill her!" Luke protested, standing by them and glowering at his companion.

"At least someone cares about me..."

"Only because he fancies his chances at a threesome," Sylar grinned, laughing out loud at the respective looks on the faces of Megan and Luke.

"Like fuck you will!" Megan snapped. "I don't _do _boys!"

"I'm experienced enough..." Luke defended hotly, scowling at Sylar as the older man continued to enjoy his discomfort.

"Let me go, Sylar," Megan insisted, still pushing against his hold, yelping with shock as she suddenly found herself pitching forwards, saved only when Sylar caught her. "Bastard!"

"Come on, we've gotta go," Sylar sighed, realising that they had wasted far too much time, and that police back-up, or worse, would doubtlessly be on their way by now.

"I am _not_ going anywhere with you!" Megan declared, backing away. "I'll take my chances on my own, thanks."

"I'll give you an hour, max," he shrugged as he climbed into the drivers seat.

"Come on!" Luke urged. "They'll catch you and do fuck knows what to you!"

"Oh, I know what they do..." Megan replied heavily. "_Exactly_ what they do..."

"So get in!" Sylar pressed, starting the engine up. "You both have five seconds..."

Megan went to get into the back of the car, pausing when Luke jumped in, obviously hoping to sit next to her, and despite her misgivings, went and sat in the front, next to the infamous Sylar.

"How do you know what they do?" Sylar frowned, looking at her as he drove away.

"I was captured a few weeks ago..." Megan began, shuddering at the memory. "They drug you to make you compliant, put you in Guantanamo Bay orange boiler suits, hood you, and muff your ears, so you can see, hear, and feel fuck all!" she spat.

"How did you escape? And what's your name?" Luke asked.

"Megan. These people, dunno who, caused the plane we were being transported on, to crash. Some of the others died, some were re-captured, and some escaped. I was one of the lucky ones."

"So how did they catch up with you today?" Sylar wondered. "Careless?"

"I don't see how I was," Megan frowned. "They must have tracked me on CCTV systems; you can't exactly avoid them."

"Yeah, that's what I figure," he agreed, nodding at the laptop he had taken when he had rescued Luke. "Haven't had chance to really look through that yet. They tracked me twice in a week, and I'm off the radar. I wanna know how."

"Wait," Megan urged. "Stop the car."

"What for?" Sylar frowned.

"This is the only road out of town in this direction," she explained. "If I can block it, it should buy us a little time."

"Okay," he nodded, pulling over to the side of the road and watching Megan as she got out of the car and looked at a rock-face a couple of hundred metres down the road, smiling as he realised what she had in mind. He climbed out and leaned against the vehicle as he watched her concentrate her power on the rock overhanging the road, jumping in spite of himself as it exploded, and rocks and boulders of all sizes came tumbling down the hill-side and across the highway, blocking it.

"Good idea," he commented as she returned to the car. "Good power..."

"Fuck you," Megan hissed, glaring at him contemptuously. "I'm jumping ship just as soon as I can."

"Then I had better kill you soon, hadn't I?" Sylar taunted with a sly smile.

"Ignore him," Luke told her. "He's bluffing."

"Yeah? What makes you so sure?" Sylar demanded as they all got back into the car, and he drove off once more.

"I ain't dead yet; in fact, you even went so far as to rescue me when you didn't have to."

"I wanted the laptop, you happened to be there," Sylar evaded with a shrug.

"As I said before, you coulda left me..."

"What's the story with you two?" Megan frowned. "You related or what?"

"No!" they both protested at once.

"I'm helping Sylar find his dad," Luke explained, grinning as the older man shot him a dark look.

"Why?" Megan wondered, looking at her companion in the front of the car. "And why do you need Luke to help you?"

"God knows," Sylar muttered, frowning as he concentrated on the road ahead. He was having enough problems trying to sort out his feelings without sharing them with yet another complete stranger, and an attractive one at that.

"So, what _did_ you find on the laptop?" Megan asked, feeling that a change of subject was called for.

"Enough. Enough to know that they're not following me; at least not yet."

"Why are they doing it?"

"Now that is the sixty four thousand dollar question," Sylar shrugged. "But it's nothing to do with me, so I'm not losing any sleep over it..."

"It's _everything _to do with you!" Megan protested. "You're one of us!"

"Yeah, the top man," Luke agreed. "I guess they want you more than anyone."

"Too bad they won't get me then, isn't it," Sylar replied sharply.

"No-one is _that_ invincible," Megan snorted, giving a sideways look at the man in the drivers seat. "I don't care what damned powers you have!"

"They can't taser me as they don't work, they can't shoot me..."

"They can, actually..." Luke butted in, putting his hands up in a gesture of surrender as Sylar turned and gave him a dark look. "Okay, okay..."

"You are _not_ invincible," Megan insisted. "If I were to land you a good hook, you'd be out cold, right?"

"You wanna try that?" Sylar mused, looking at her and arching an eyebrow.

"Depends!" Megan shot back. "And if you were out cold, you could be drugged, restrained, shot wherever you're obviously vulnerable to being shot... and believe me, Sylar, these guys are persistent! Is it really so important that you find your father?" Megan sighed and shook her head as Sylar stared moodily ahead, without replying. "Fine, have it your way..."

"We sleeping rough again tonight, man? I could use a bed..." Luke complained, theatrically stretching as much as he could on the back seat of the vehicle.

"We'll sleep wherever is safe!" Sylar snapped.

"It ain't safe sleeping in here out in the open!" Luke continued, adding a whining pitch to his voice for effect.

"Luke, shut the fuck up!" Megan rebuked, shifting nervously in her seat at the dangerous, angry glint in the eyes of the infamous Sylar.

"But..."

"You heard her!" Sylar snapped through gritted teeth. "Now shut the fuck up or get out and walk!"

Megan glanced sharply around at Luke, glaring at him to do as he was told, but the uneasy look in his eyes told her that they would not be hearing anything out of him for a while. It seemed, that despite his bravura, the younger was probably as scared of Sylar as she was.

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	2. Chapter 2

I do not own any character from the series of Heroes, and neither do I make any monies from the writing of this story. It is purely for my, and hopefully your, enjoyment.

Many thanks to those who have reviewed, or added my story to your favourites list - they are much appreciated.

________

**Chapter two**

Megan woke with a jerk as the car came to a stop, and she bit down a comment as she realised they were in the parking lot of a motel, but Luke did not have such qualms and made a small sound of pleasure, or triumph; she wasn't certain which, but a glance from Sylar prevented him from saying or doing anything else.

"Ah, look... I don't have..." Megan began as Sylar climbed out of the vehicle.

"It's okay," he called over his shoulder as he walked to the reception.

"He's not going to...?" she frowned, looking worriedly from the retreating figure, to the youth on the back seat.

"Dunno; let's go and find out!" Luke grinned, leaping out and hurrying over to where the older man had gone, before Megan could open her mouth to advise caution.

'_Maybe I should go..._' she mused, chewing her lip as she looked around, seeing no other buildings nearby, save an all night diner across the highway. '_Hide and sleep rough, then continue on my way? And if those goons catch up with you again?'_ Megan shuddered at the thought of the government agents re-capturing her and doing the same as they had before. '_That is if the game plan is still the same... they could be shooting to kill by now_.'

"You coming?" Sylar enquired as he exited the reception, and waited for Megan to walk over.

"Why are you helping me?" she frowned as she approached him and Luke. "I don't think it's exactly your style, is it?"

"You're useful," he replied.

"Don't you usually kill the useful ones?"

Sylar snorted, then grinned, shrugging ruefully. "Make the most of my good humour."

"I think I will," Megan agreed doubtfully. "So, did you get a family room?"

"Only doubles and a single left, sorry."

"Where the hell am I supposed to sleep?" she protested, glaring at Luke as he laughed out loud.

"I reckon we should keep watch all night, so one can stay awake for a few hours while the other two sleep in the bed, yeah?" the youth suggested, gleefully.

"Like hell that is happening!" Megan spat. "I'll take the chair, you two can have the bed!"

"But..."

"Look, Luke!" Megan growled as she rounded on him. "Before long it won't be _him_ you have to worry about, but _me!"_

"Okay, okay..." Luke protested, looking hurt. "I was only joking..."

"I have a kid brother around your age, so don't joke with me, I bite back; _hard!"_

"Great," Luke sighed. "A bossy sister; just what I always wanted..."

"You okay with the chair?" Sylar asked.

"There's no way I'm sharing with _either_ of you two," Megan remarked dryly.

"Okay," he nodded as he opened the door to their room. "I just hope it's comfy..."

"Lemme see... a choice of an uncomfortable chair or sharing with either a kid who'd grope me all night, or a guy who'd probably slice my head open as I slept... some choice, huh?"

"Luke, go and get us some food from the diner," Sylar ordered, handing the youth some money.

"Why me?" Luke whined. "Why can't you go?"

"Okay, I'll go and I'll me and Megan some food, and you can watch us eat it..." Sylar taunted, grinning as Luke stomped from the room, slamming the door behind himself.

Megan watched Luke leave, quietly horrified as she found herself alone with Sylar, and she forced a smile on her face, hoping she looked more confident than she felt. "So, why _are_ you helping me?" she pressed.

"It's kinda nice having someone else to talk to other than Luke," Sylar shrugged.

"And yet you don't talk much..."

"No... no, I don't" he smiled. "Maybe I like the sound of a different voice?"

Megan looked doubtfully at him but did not press further. There was no way she was going to push her luck. "So, you gonna boot that up and have another look?" she asked, nodding at the laptop.

"Yeah, might as well. They've got wi-fi here, so I should be able to get onto the net, too."

"That's traceable," Megan warned him. "And they've probably got a tracking system on that thing, anyway."

"No; they haven't found us again, so I doubt it."

"Maybe they want you to think they haven't found you?" Megan pointed out. "Maybe they're waiting for you to get complacent?"

"They'll be waiting a helluva long time, then!" Sylar snorted as he started up the laptop. "You know anything about computers?"

"Yeah," she nodded, peering over his shoulder at the screen, and trying to take in the information on it. "So, Petrelli _is_ behind this?" Megan mused as she saw his name several times, including on one document issuing an order.

"It's his baby... or _was_. I don't think it is any more," Sylar commented as a picture of agent Danko, otherwise known as the Hunter, appeared.

"Ugh! _Him_!" Megan shuddered. "He is a total bastard! You reckon he is running the operation now?"

"Petrelli doesn't have the stomach to do what has to be done, so yeah."

"What has Nathan Petrelli got against us? How did he find out about us? Did one of his family got hurt by someone with powers?" she wondered, looking curiously at Sylar as he snorted derisively.

"Nathan _has_ powers; he can fly; his mother manipulates dreams... and people, his brother can absorb powers, and his dear, departed father could also absorb powers.

"The _Petrelli's_ all have powers?" Megan gasped. "So why...?"

"Dunno. I always got the feeling that Peter was more comfortable with his powers than Nathan was. Maybe that's why?"

"Nathan doesn't like having a power, so he takes it out on the rest of us?" Megan cried incredulously, looking up as Luke returned with the food.

"Nathan doesn't like anything he can't handle, and he believes that we are dangerous and uncontrollable, so he's trying to control us the only way he knows how."

"By locking us up and throwing away the key!"

"Or killing us," Luke interjected as he put the bags down on the bed, and the tray of drinks on the small bedside table.

"Or killing us," Sylar nodded in agreement. "Or rather, _you_..."

"I bet they know how to kill you as well..." Megan sniped, instantly regretting her boldness as Sylar glanced sharply at her, the anger clear in his eyes. But a part of her mind registered that he was indeed vulnerable, to both being killed and to the fact that he could be killed.

"So, you changed your mind about the chair, yet?" Luke grinned as he took a bite of his burger.

"Like hell I have, boy-child!"

"If you don't watch your mouth, you'll sleep in the car," Sylar warned the youngster.

"Ooo, I reckon he's jealous, huh? Trying to get rid of the competition...?"

Megan froze as Sylar's hand raised towards Luke, an angry expression on his face, which changed subtly to hesitation, then he put his hand down, glancing from the youth to Megan before concentrating on his food. She glowered at Luke, hoping that he would get the message, and forced herself to eat, even though her throat felt too tight to swallow. '_What have I gotten myself into_?' she wondered. '_I'm gonna have to leave in the morning_.'

"How come you've got no bag?" Sylar asked. "You got any money?"

"I lost my bag when the goons took me the first time, same with my money. I've had to steal food, and these clothes, but I daren't risk it again," she sighed. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Stay with us, of course!" Luke replied. "We'll look after you."

"I... can't," Megan frowned, looking at Sylar. "It's too much to ask..."

"If you're worried about money, don't be," he shrugged, reaching over and touching the metal handle of the bedside drawers, grinning at the astonishment of his companions as it turned into solid gold. "I've got more than enough money..."

"Holy... crap!" Luke gasped. "Why the fuck can't I have that power?"

"Because you're not me," Sylar mused, as he turned the handle back to steel.

Megan frowned as she continued to eat silently, torn between relief at having found someone to watch her back and look after her, and horror and revulsion at just who her _saviour _was. "I think I'd try and get some sleep now," she mused when she had finished, standing and fetching a blanket out of a drawer in the small chest.

"Sure I can't tempt you with the bed?" Luke teased. "You won't get much sleep on that thing."

"I wouldn't get much sleep with you!" Megan retorted. "I can sleep anywhere and through anything, even an earthquake!" She settled down and closed her eyes, but the chair had to be the most uncomfortable she had ever had the misfortune to sit in, but Megan was damned if she was going to let either of her male companions know this, and so she pretended to fall asleep quickly, listening to Sylar and Luke have a couple of hissed exchanges as the youth wanted to watch the TV but was overruled, and then wanted to go across to the diner, only falling silent when he was threatened. Megan had to smile to herself, that for all his cockiness, she doubted Luke would ever stand up to Sylar. She wondered if she would if the occasion ever arose.

________

'_Oh, fuck!'_ Megan swore inwardly as she heard a noise. She had not long managed to drift off to sleep, after the worst night she had had in years and now one of the others had obviously woken, and was up and about.

"Morning," came Sylar's voice, and Megan prised open her eyes, trying, and failing not to react at the sight of him with just a towel around his middle, his torso glistening with droplets of water from the shower he had obviously just come out of.

"Morning," she replied, cursing as her voice caught, and she told herself that it was because her mouth was dry. "How did you know I was awake?"

"I could tell," he shrugged as he rubbed his hair with another towel.

"You got super hearing or something?"

"I used to have, but lost it when I got a virus." Sylar looked at Megan and smirked as he caught her watching him. "Like what you see...?" he teased, his voice dropping an octave.

"Yeah, in your dreams!" she snorted.

"You forget, Megan, one of my abilities is lie detection..." he reminded her, bending down so that his face was level with hers. "And you're lying..."

"So you say!" Megan insisted. "How do I know that isn't a lie of yours, huh?"

"Let me prove it," he teased, sitting on the edge of the bed, his eyes never leaving hers. "Tell me some things about your life and I'll tell you if they're true or false."

"You really expect me to fall for that? You'd probably read my face and hazard a guess."

"If I answer one hundred percent correctly, will you believe me?"

"No-one can get that many correct," she retorted.

"So when I do, you'll believe that I have lie detection, and admit that you're attracted to me?"

Megan clenched her teeth, angry at herself for getting cornered so easily. "My first pet was a cat named Bobo."

"True," he nodded.

"My best friend was Paulette Downing."

"False..."

"What the hell are you two doing?" Luke asked when he woke, some fifteen minutes later, to find Sylar grinning smugly, and Megan with a sour look on her face as he continued to get question after question correct.

"Proving a point," Sylar grinned. "You admit defeat?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow at Megan. "It's a hundred percent so far..."

"All right, so you can detect lies, but I am _not_ attracted to you!" Megan insisted, jumping from the chair and hurrying to the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind herself. '_You stupid bitch!'_ she thought angrily, splashing cold water on her flushed face. '_You really fell for that one. And I do not fancy him! He's a psychopathic killer!' _Megan stripped off her clothes and showered quickly, wishing that she had a change of clothing. '_Looks like I'll have to steal some more_,' she sighed, hating the fact that she had been driven to stealing clothes, money, and food in order to survive. "Oh, shit!" Megan swore, realising that there were no towels in the bathroom. "Can I have a towel, please?" she snapped, hiding behind the door and opening it enough to jut her hand out, snatching the towel when it was given to her, and shutting the door quickly, not altogether trusting either of them. '_He is attractive...'_ a voice in her head mused as she dried herself off. '_Got a great body... stop it! I do not fancy him!'_

Megan stepped out of the bathroom, trying to act as naturally as possible whilst avoiding Sylar's eyes, but she knew that he was smirking at her. "Ah, look..." she began, chewing her lip. "I think it best if I head my own way from here on. Thanks for everything..."

"At least have breakfast," Sylar suggested. "And let me buy you some clothes?"

"No! No, I really couldn't!"

"It's not like it's _my_ money," he shrugged with a lopsided grin. "And you're gonna start stinking before too long."

"Okay..." she replied hesitantly, totally disarmed by his generosity, and she wondered what his motive was. "Erm, thanks..."

"You get yourself something from the diner then head straight back here," Sylar ordered Luke, handing him some notes.

"Why can't I...? Okay," he sighed at the older man's look of warning. "What if the goons come?"

"Hide."

"Oh, great! Hide..." he snorted as he headed out of the door.

"Surely even _you_ can stay out of trouble for half an hour or so, huh?" Megan teased, wishing that the youth was joining her and Sylar.

"I think twenty minutes is my maximum," Luke mused, winking at her before running across the road, giving the finger to a driver who had narrowly missed hitting him.

"You think it's wise letting him be on his own?"

"Gotta learn to look after himself sometime," Sylar shrugged as they started towards the main street and the shops. "I was looking at the laptop again this morning. Apparently some of the tasers shoot tracking devices into their victims so they can be tracked."

"You reckon you have one inside of you?" Megan frowned.

"Don't see how I can have. I have cellular regeneration, and anything that goes into my body is expelled."

"Not necessarily. If it's been encoded with your DNA, then your body shouldn't reject it as it thinks it is a part of you."

Sylar stopped and looked at Megan. "How d'you know all this?" he frowned.

"I'm... I _was_ a vet, and I used to work at a stud. They would chip thoroughbred horses with genetically encoded trackers," Megan replied as they continued walking.

"Why? Why genetically encoded?"

"So that you couldn't put the chip from one horse into a similar looking horse and pass it off. Each chip has its own security code if you like, along with all the details of the horse, and the DNA, of course."

"And how can I check if I have one of these chips inside me?"

"Go to any good veterinary practice and they should have a hand held device that you pass over the animal, or your body in this case, and it should come up."

"Would that veterinary do?" Sylar mused, nodding across the street to a large building.

"Yeah... look, they're not gonna just scan you, you know?"

"Depends on how we ask them," he winked.

"No! No way am I killing anyone... I'll see if they have one for sale. They should do with all the farms around here."

"Except they're not open yet..."

"So, we'll call in on the way back!" Megan snapped, glaring at him. "I am not killing some innocent people just because you want to check if you're being tracked, got it?"

"Yes, M'am," he replied with amusement twinkling in his eyes.

Megan sighed and shook her head as she headed towards a Wal-Mart, knowing they would get what they wanted from there. "Look, I don't need you to buy me any clothes. I'll be okay."

"I don't mind," Sylar shrugged. "You're gonna have to get some, some time."

"Yeah, but that's not exactly your problem, is it? Why are you being so nice? What's in it for you? You hoping I'll sleep with you, is that it?"

Sylar snorted with derision. "I'm not always a monster," he replied with, to Megan's astonishment, a hint of sorrow in his voice. "I'm not sure what I am any more..."

"That why you want to find your father?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I want to know if I'm anything like him, I want to know why he... _sold_ me."

"He did _what_?" Megan gasped. "Sold you to whom?"

"His brother."

"Jesus! What a bas... I can't believe that. Do you know why?"

"That's another reason to see him," Sylar pointed out. "We'll see..."

They fell silent as they went around the store, speaking only to confirm which groceries would be needed on the journey, and when Megan thanked Sylar for the two pairs of jeans, several tank tops with spaghetti straps, and a military style denim jacket. Megan hurried across the street to the vets, whilst Sylar stayed with their purchases, hoping and praying that they had a hand held scanner for sale, otherwise she knew that he would take matters into his own hands. She breathed inwardly when they confirmed they had one more left, and sold it to her.

"Got it!" she grinned as she ran back, clutching the precious scanner in her hand.

"Okay; we'll see if they really have got me tracked. But if they have, then why haven't they come for us when we've been in one place for several hours?"

"You can't always pick up a signal. It depends if you're in a hot-spot, or even if there's a receiver nearby that's strong enough to relay the signal." Megan went pale as she spotted a couple of police officers ahead, taking to someone and showing them a picture. "Fuck!" she gasped, grabbing Sylar's hand and yanking him into the doorway of a florists before he had chance to react.

"Wha...?" he frowned.

"Police!" Megan gasped, standing on tiptoe and looking over his shoulder, groaning as the officers glanced towards them. '_I'm gonna regret this_...' she mused to herself as she pulled Sylar's head down to hers and kissed him, winding her arms around him, and squealing inwardly as he deepened the kiss, his tongue exploring her mouth, and his hands crushing her body against his. "Ah... they've gone..." she panted, eventually pulling away from him.

"You sure?" he crooned, is lips brushing against her ears.

"Yeah..." Megan replied, trying and failing to suppress a shiver. "That meant nothing!" she insisted, picking up some of the bags. "It was just an act, so don't get any ideas, okay?"

"Ideas? Me?" Sylar teased, his eyes boring into hers. "If that was an act, then you're a damned fine actress..."

"Come on, we have to get back! Who knows who they're looking for!"

Megan pushed past him and strode ahead, wishing desperately that her face was not burning, and that she could not still feel and taste him in her mouth, and that she did not have a dull ache between her legs. '_He is a psychopath, don't forget that_,' she reminded herself. '_He'd kill you as soon as look at you, I don't care how damned attractive he is_.'

"Where the hell have you guys been?" Luke demanded as soon as they walked into their room. "I thought you'd been caught or something!"

"Yeah, well," Megan sighed. "I'm just gonna get changed."

Sylar watched with a smirk as Megan disappeared into the bathroom with the clothes he had bought her, then took the scanner out of its box, examining it carefully as he figured out how it worked, then running it along the length of his arm, almost disappointed when it did not respond.

"Where did you get shot when they tasered you?" Megan enquired as she emerged from the bathroom, self concious in the relatively low cut top.

"Ah... mostly my chest and shoulders..." Sylar replied, his eyes raking her body as he handed the scanner to her.

Megan held her breath as she began to run the device over him, every nerve ending tingling at the closeness of him, and almost jumping out of her skin as the machine beeped over his left shoulder. "Gotcha!" she declared, stepping away from him with relief. "How are you going to get it out?"

"Luke, give me a blast right about there," Sylar instructed, pointing to where he wanted the youngster to concentrate his energy.

"You can't! You'll... regenerate...?" Megan frowned, belatedly remembering one of his abilities. She watched in horror as Luke sent a microwave through Sylar's shoulder, wondering if it all had been a terrible mistake as the older man cried out in agony, then watched in utter astonishment as the wound instantly began to heal. She moved closer to him and inspected his shoulder, looking at him in disbelief. "That's..."

"Scan me again," Sylar urged. "See if it worked."

Megan did as she was bade, the awkwardness at being close to him forgotten about as she pondered what she had just seen. "No wonder they can't take you down," she mused. "Do you heal from _everything_?"

"Almost," he shrugged nonchalantly. "Although they _do _know how to take me down," he added, remembering the incident in the diner when Luke had come to his rescue by distracting the agent who had a gun to the back of his head.

"That is incredible," she smiled as she continued to run the scanner over him. "You're clear."

"Now your turn," Sylar announced, taking the scanner from her hand.

"I don't need scanning!" Megan protested. "I wasn't with you when they tasered me again!"

"So? We're all being scanned."

"Bags Meg does it to me!" Luke grinned.

Megan pulled a face at him, trying not to react as the back of Sylar's hand brushed against the top of her breast as he started to scan her. "I was tasered twice, once on the back of my left ribs, and once on my right front shoulder blade, so there's no need to scan me everywhere, you know..."

"They drugged you, right? They could have put a chip in you while you were out, just in case you escaped," Sylar pointed out, thoroughly enjoying her discomfort. "You can never be too careful," he whispered in Megan's ear as he moved around to scan the back of her, lifting her hair and doing the back of here neck, deliberately running his fingers against her skin.

"I think you've done everywhere now!" Megan snapped, moving away, but then finding herself held in his power.

"I'm not used to using these things, I may have missed somewhere..." he teased as he carried on.

"Let me go!" she protested, straining against him. "Sylar!" She grunted as he released her and she fell forward into his arms cursing inwardly at being tricked again. "Bastard!"

"You really should stop struggling; you'll never break free," he taunted, chuckling with amusement as Megan pulled away from him, hitching a strap up that had fallen down her arm.

"Me now!" Luke grinned, his face falling as he realised that Megan was not going to scan him.

"So what happens if Luke has a chip?" Megan enquired. "He can't exactly cook himself, can he?"

"You've done surgery, right?"

"You have?" Luke gasped. "You a doctor or something?"

"A vet, which is just about right for you," Sylar remarked dryly, winking at Megan's snort of amusement.

"Ha, ha, very funny," Luke pouted, pulling a face, but then smiling at Megan. "So, you'll operate?"

"You might not have a tracking device," Megan pointed out. "And if it's deep, then I'm not sure it would be a good idea."

"A taser wouldn't be able to fire anything in too deep," Sylar argued, "but I reckon he's clean."

"I'm surprised if they knew he was with you."

Sylar frowned before handing the scanner to Megan. "You do it then."

"Yes!" Luke exclaimed, grinning broadly.

Megan sighed and pulled a face at the youngster as she began to run the machine over him, concentrating on where he said the taser had hit him, but she found nothing. "Looks like it was just you then," she shrugged, looking at Sylar.

"So, they won't follow us again?" Luke enquired.

"Not unless those coppers recognised me," Megan worried, "and assumed that you were who they thought you were."

"Time to go," Sylar decided. "Now."

________


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own any character from the series of Heroes, and neither do I make any monies from the writing of this story. It is purely for my, and hopefully your, enjoyment.

Someone (sorry, I can't remember who) said that the description of Megan sounded like Eden McCain, and when I thought of her character, Eden was the first person that sprang to mind, but obviously I couldn't have her. The _template_ if you like, for Megan, is actually Natalie Portman.

As ever, thank you for reading, reviewing, and saving to favourites – it is always appreciated – Ani.

_______

**Chapter three**

"Can I drive a while?" Megan asked as the trio made their way to the car without bothering to check out, smiling at Sylar as he handed the keys over without hesitation. "Thanks, it's been ages since I drove; I miss it."

"How did they find you the first time?" he asked as he climbed in beside her. "At home, at work?"

Megan frowned as she started the engine up, not wanting to share the information with him. "I was... sorry, but I don't wanna talk about it, okay?"

"How they captured you, or _where_ they captured you?" Sylar pressed.

"Leave it, please!" she snapped as she pulled away. "I don't wanna talk about it!"

"What did you do, Meg?" he asked gently. "What happened?"

"It would mean nothing to _you!"_ Megan retorted, angrily wiping away a tear.

"You killed someone?"

Megan took a deep breath and nodded, feeling a sort of relief that she had finally acknowledged it. "Yes," she whispered. "I was working alone at the practice one night, and these kids broke in, wanting drugs, wanting me... I had only recently discovered what I could do; did it once by accident because I was mad when my car wouldn't start. I shattered the steering wheel..."

"What happened with the kids?" Luke asked from the back seat. "You scare 'em off?"

"No... I killed them..."

"I'm sorry, Megan," Sylar sympathised, and she glanced sharply at him, expecting to find him mocking her, but to her surprise, he seemed genuine.

"I ran," she continued. "How the hell could I explain several bodies shattered into bits and pieces? And I sure as hell wouldn't have been able to clean up the mess..." Megan shuddered violently. "So, how did it start for you?"

"Me?" Sylar echoed, shaking his head. "I always knew I was different, and when Chandra Suresh walked into my shop, my life changed forever."

"You had a shop?" Luke queried in surprise.

"Yeah... I was a watchmaker."

"Chandra Suresh? Isn't he that guy who wrote that book?" Megan frowned.

"You read it?"

"Not all of it; I never had a chance to finish it before I went on the run. I had half thought of finding him, though..."

"He's dead."

"Oh. Did you kill him?"

"Yes."

"Oh. He had an ability?"

"No... he was trying to stop me," Sylar sighed, "and I didn't want to be stopped. Not then."

"And you do now?" she pressed, trying hard to concentrate on the road, but the turn in the conversation was compelling, and she noticed that even Luke had gone quiet.

"I don't know," he admitted. "Before, the hunger drove me, but now..."

"It's slaked?"

"The edge is off..." he acknowledged. "For now."

"And that also has to do with wanting to find your father? Perhaps you want to see if there's a way of... I dunno, _not_ being what you are?"

"Maybe," Sylar agreed. "I won't know until I get there."

Megan fell silent as she digested what she had learned about the man sitting next to her, and she half looked at the rise they were driving up, her eyes growing wide with horror as a helicopter appeared above the top of the hill. "Sylar!" she screamed, swerving as a rocket was launched from the chopper, and the car ended up in a ditch.

"Get out!" he yelled, concentrating his telekinesis power on the helicopter, as Luke sent microwaves at it. Megan watched them, knowing that she had little choice but to use her ability as well, and she joined the men in attacking the military vehicle. She screamed again as another rocket headed towards them, and watched in open mouthed astonishment as Sylar stopped it dead, turned it around, and sent it back towards the chopper. Megan focused back on her power, concentrating like she had never done before, her relief as the machine exploded from the concentration of all three powers, turning to terror as the explosion cast out towards them, sending flames and lethal shrapnel flying everywhere. She found herself screaming beneath Sylar as he threw her to the ground and lay on top of her, shielding her from the worst of it.

Eventually the world went quiet, and it stopped raining debris, and Sylar gingerly got to his feet, wincing in pain. "You okay?" he asked, helping Megan to her feet.

"Yeah... you're not, though." She gasped as he turned around; the back of his clothes were burned and torn, and pieces of metal of varying sizes were sticking out of him. "Oh, my God!" Megan gulped. "I'll get them out..."

"See to Luke first," Sylar instructed, nodding towards the youngster lying in the ditch, several feet away from the car, and sheltered by thick shrubbery.

"Luke!" Megan cried, running over to him and checking for a pulse, almost sobbing with relief when she found a strong one. Apart from concussion, and a few cuts, he seemed to be all right. "He's fine," she informed Sylar as he walked somewhat painfully over to them. "Come on, let's get you seen to."

"Yeah," he agreed with a frown, hissing sharply as she made a start, hoping that Megan would not remember what he had said about foreign bodies being expelled from his body. He smiled ruefully to himself; sometimes powers were _very _useful.

"Thank you. If it hadn't been for you, I'd be dead. Ah... what's your first name? I can't, or rather don't want to keep calling you Sylar."

"Gabriel," he replied, offering his hand over his shoulder, which Megan shook with a chuckle. "Gabriel Gray."

"So where did Sylar come from? I'm Meg Jackson, by the way."

Sylar turned around and showed Megan his watch. "I needed an alias, and this seemed as good as any."

"Why haven't you mended it?" she frowned as she went back to her task of removing the shrapnel as gently as she could from him.

"It's sorta like the epitome of what I was and what I became. I had spent several years restoring it, and I had just finished when I met Suresh, and then that part of my life was over."

"Do you... I dunno, ever wish that things were different? That you could go back to being normal?"

"Did you lose your powers during that eclipse a few months back?"

"I... don't know," Megan frowned. "I never really used them at all; it frightened me too much."

"I think everyone who had a ability lost them for the duration of the eclipse, and it felt as if a huge weight had lifted from my shoulders. To be honest, I don't think I'd have been too upset, at that point, if they had never returned."

"Why at that point?" Megan pressed, glancing at Luke and making sure that he was still okay.

"I felt calmer than I had done for some time. I believed that I was part of a family; a dysfunctional one, sure, but still part of them, I... had grown close to a woman, and I felt in control of the hunger. Ouch!"

"Sorry," Megan winced, wiping away the blood that poured from a particularly deep wound until the cut healed itself. "So what happened to it all?"

"The family part was a lie. They were using my need for a family to try and mould me into what they wanted me to be. And Elle... Elle had the misfortune to be in the wrong place when the hunger... the _anger _ returned..."

"I'm nearly through," Megan told him for want of something to say as she did not know what else _to_ say. "I'm afraid some of them are a bit personal..."

"You've seen a man's body before, haven't you?" he shrugged.

"Probably not as intimately as a horses, but yeah!" she joked as she got on her knees and started removing the metal from his buttocks and legs. "I hope you've got a change of clothes; I somehow don't think what you bought me will fit!" Megan looked at Luke as he groaned, and then shot up to a sitting position, a panicked look in his eyes.

"Whoa! It's okay, Luke," she assured him. "It's okay..."

"Fuck!" the youngster swore, running his hand through his hair. "That was too damned close!"

"Yeah, and we're gonna have to move, like _now_," Sylar frowned, looking at the wreckage of the helicopter. "I don't think they'd have come after us without backup."

"I'd have thought the backup would've been here by now," Megan pointed out as she removed the final piece of metal. "All done."

"Thanks," Sylar nodded as he went to the car and used his power to lift it from the ditch, more relieved than he showed that, apart from the back window shattered but unbroken, there seemed to be little damage to it. He opened the truck and pulled out a change of clothing from a travel bag, stripping off the torn and burned garments and replacing them with the fresh ones. "You want to drive again?"

"Ah... no! I think I'll let you," Megan replied with a nervous smile as she wrung her hands together, trying to fight down hysteria as the events of the past twenty minutes or so, started to catch up with her.

"You okay?" Sylar enquired, cocking his head to one side as he regarded her.

"Yes! Fine!" she replied, a little too brightly. "Come on, we can't stay here any longer." Megan climbed into the back of the car, glad when Luke went to sit in the front. "You okay, Luke?"

"Yeah. Got the head from hell, but I'm okay," he replied, turning and smiling at her. "How come you got away unscathed?"

"I had a guardian angel," she chuckled, grinning as Sylar also turned and looked at her, arching an eyebrow. "Seriously though, thanks again."

"No problem," he shrugged as he turned back and started the engine up, eager to get away from the scene of devastation before anyone showed up.

________

Megan woke groggily, and eased her protesting muscles as she sat up in the back of the car, wondering where they were, and indeed where her two companions were. They had driven for several hours, mostly in silence, except when Luke tried behaving like a normal seventeen year old, and annoying both her and Sylar. She looked out of the windscreen at the run down, partially boarded up diner, and climbed from the vehicle, her brow creased in a frown, especially when she heard raised voices from inside. Megan caught her breath as Sylar emerged with a face like thunder, and she half wondered whether to turn and run, but he reached her almost before she knew it.

"Get your things," Sylar told her in a voice that brokered no arguments. "I'm going on alone."

"W-where's Luke?" Megan enquired, not wanting to know the answer. "Is he okay?"

"In there."

Megan looked at Sylar, trying to read what was going on inside his head, but his eyes were dark and angry, and she dared not push him further. "Okay," she replied quietly, leaning into the back of the car and grabbing the carrier bag containing her clothes. "What happened?" she pressed, unable to help herself. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It doesn't matter," Sylar shrugged, holding her gaze for a fraction of a second longer before climbing into the car and driving off, leaving Megan dazed and confused. She spun around on hearing a noise, and gasped once more, this time with relief, as Luke appeared in the doorway of the diner.

"Are you all right?" she asked, hurrying over to him, shocked to see cuts and bruises on his face. "What happened?"

"He flipped. He just... flipped."

"Why? What is this place?"

"Oh... he flipped before we reached here, but this place _really _sent him over the edge."

"Why did he flip before? Did you wind him up again?"

"No! Well, maybe a little. But it's you, don't you get it? He flipped because of you!"

"Me?" Megan replied incredulously. "How d'you work that one out?"

"Oh, come on, Meg!" Luke exclaimed. "He was sweet on you, and you know it. I reckon he doesn't like having feelings for someone..."

"That's ridiculous!" Megan insisted, shifting uncomfortably at the thought, remembering what Sylar had told her about the woman he had grown close to, Elle.

"Yeah...? I saw you two kiss; you were kissing _long_ after the cops lost interest in you."

Megan opened and closed her mouth several times as she struggled for a reply, before giving up with a deep sigh. "So, what're we gonna do now?"

"Nearest town's twenty miles ahead, so I guess we hike."

"Isn't that a bit dangerous, considering we not only have government agents after us, but half the state's police force, too!"

"You got a better plan?"

"No," she admitted as they both started to walk. "So, what happened in there?"

"This was the place his dad sold him to his brother. Trouble is, it's also the place his dad killed his mom..."

"W-what...? Megan gasped. "I think you'd better tell me the whole story from the beginning."

"Good job we got a long walk," Luke mused ruefully as he began to recall the tale, from when he had arrived home from school with his mother, to find Sylar in their house.

________


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own any character from the series of Heroes, and neither do I make any monies from the writing of this story. It is purely for my, and hopefully your, enjoyment.

This is a short chapter – sorry! Mike's ability is one I borrowed from a character in the graphic novels. And I nearly had a fit in I Am Sylar when he took the ability off that man who had the same power as Megan! I reckon they've been pinching my ideas... joke, joke! ;)

________

**Chapter four**

"Need a lift?"

Megan tensed up and glanced at Luke as the vehicle they had heard approaching, pulled up alongside them.

"It's a long way to town..."

"Yeah, we already walked most of it," Luke remarked dryly.

Megan glanced in to the cab of the truck, noting the two men inside. "We'll be okay, thanks," she smiled, musing to herself how she came to think little of sitting next to Sylar, and yet was unwilling to trust these two, seemingly decent men.

"You sure? There's a lot of enemies out there..." The driver warned. "Including Sylar, apparently..."

"W-what do you mean?" Megan frowned, grabbing Luke's arm and starting to back away. '_We're gonna have to fight our way out of this_...' she thought to herself.

"No, you're not. We don't want to fight _you_... we'll have enough of a fight with the bastard government agents."

"How did you...?" Megan gulped. '_Can you read my mind?'_

"Yeah..." he laughed. "Brett Sumner, and this is Mike D'Tengo. You're.... Luke, and...?"

'_Megan_.'

"Megan, huh? So, you coming with us, or not?"

"How the hell did he know our names? What's going on, Meg?" Luke frowned.

"He's apparently a telepath," Megan explained. "How did you know that we were...?" she frowned, looking back to the two men.

"We've picked up so many people on the road," Mike told her. "So many people are on the run because of what the government are doing to us."

"And if we hadn't had powers?"

"We'd have driven on and left you to walk the rest of the way."

"What do you think, Luke? Should we risk it?"

"And what risks will you find in town?" Brett pointed out. "The agents could be there already; people could be suspicious of strangers and report you..."

"And God knows, you guys left a helluva trail of destruction in your wake..." Mike mused sarcastically. "Did you say Sylar?" he frowned, looking to his friend.

"Yeah... you were _with _Sylar?"

"Yes."

"Doesn't he usually...?"

"I guess everyone's game plan has changed," Megan evaded, giving Luke a little nudge to warn him to keep quiet.

"Come on, we might as well," Luke shrugged, already opening the back door of the truck. "Beats walking, anyway."

"And don't even think about microwaving us, kid," Brett warned, winking at Luke's raised eyebrows. "Mike here has accelerated probability..."

"Which is?" Megan frowned as she too climbed on board.

"I can slow down time, decide on what you're gonna do next, then react with superhuman speed," Mike grinned. "Thank God you don't have Sylar with you any more..."

"How did you hook up with him, anyway?" Brett frowned as he pulled away.

"Sorry, but he helped me and I'm not gonna pay him back by talking about him, okay?"

"Sylar? Helped you? You sure it was the same guy?"

"Oh, believe me. It was him, all right," Megan breathed. "He had his own agenda, and please, do not ready our minds to find out what it was."

"Okay," Brett agreed reluctantly. Although he sometimes read peoples minds without their permission, if expressly asked not to, he tried his hardest to comply. He did not always succeed.

"So, where're we going?" Luke asked.

"We have a safe place, where there are others like us."

"What, hiding, or are you like a resistance movement?" the youth pressed.

Megan frowned as the two men glanced at each other. "Well?" she demanded, tensing once more, ready to strike out.

"We're gathering people together..." Mike began. "We have to fight back."

"Cool!" Luke grinned. "I'm staying with you guys!"

"What's your power, Megan?" Brett asked.

"I shatter things into tiny pieces..."

"Ouch!"

"You gonna stay?" Mike asked, turning to look at her properly.

"I'll let you know," she evaded, although Megan did not see what choice she had. Life had been hard since she had to go on the run; she figured it might be easier amongst a group of similar people.

"Well I am, whatever you decide," Luke declared. "I wanna fight the bastards for what they did to me!"

"We don't go in gung-ho, kid!" Brett warned him. "That's what they want us to do, to give them the perfect excuse to take us out."

"How many others have you picked up?" Megan asked.

"There's about a dozen of us, now," Mike replied. "Some have been captured and escaped, but most of us have managed to be lucky."

"Yeah? I've been tasered twice!" Megan snorted. "Luke once, Sylar... fuck knows how many times! Did you know they attach tracking chips to some of the tasers?"

"_What_?" Mike exploded, glancing from his partner to the woman in the back of the truck. "How do you know?"

"Sylar had one; we discovered it... in fact, I still have the scanner!" Megan grinned, fishing inside the carrier bag and producing the scanner. "So if anyone has been tasered, I'll scan them, just in case."

"How...?"

"He stole a laptop from the goons," Luke put in, "and found stuff out."

"He...? Okay," Brett sighed. "I guess I should be thankful to him for that."

"He is sorta on our side, you know, at least for now," Megan pointed out. "If you want to look at it at its most base, if the goons get rid of us all, there'd be no-one left for him to take abilities off, right?"

"I guess not," Brett shrugged. "I still wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw Mike here."

"Neither would I, but he was good to me," Megan shrugged. "Maybe next time I see him, he'll be more true to form, eh?"

"You gonna join us or not?" Mike pressed. "Cos if not, then we're gonna have to drop you at the edge of town; we can't risk anyone knowing where we're hiding out."

"I'm staying," Luke declared. "I sure as hell ain't going home."

"Okay, I guess I'll stay, too."

"Great!" Mike grinned. "I can't wait to see both your powers in action!"

________

**Several weeks later**

"You okay?" Megan panted as she ran down an alleyway with Mike D'Tengo.

"Just great!" he remarked, grinning at her. "More of the bastards down!"

"Yeah, plus some of us..." she reminded him, the thought of their lost friends tempering her relief and pleasure at having killed several government agents, and made good their escape. "Wait! This isn't the way to the rendezvous point..."

"I figured a shortcut," Mike told her, grabbing her arm and propelling her faster.

"Mike! You know shortcuts are against the rules! What if we run into a trap?"

"I can handle it," he grinned, firming his grip on her arm.

"No! Let me go!" Megan gasped as Mike shoved her into a doorway; her eyes growing wide with horror as his face suddenly started to bulge, and change shape and colour. She took her chance when the man cried out in pain, and shoved him hard in the chest, then ran down the alley for all she was worth, crying out in fright and realisation as she found herself ensnared in an invisible hold. "You!" she spat when Sylar appeared in her vision, a smirk on his face. "What did you do to Mike?"

"Mike? Oh, _Mike_... he's probably mourning your loss, with your other friends."

"My...? You _bastard!_ Let me go, Sylar! _Now_!"

"I don't really want to do that," he shrugged.

"Why? What do you want with me?"

"You got her?" a voice enquired from behind Megan, and she glowered at Sylar.

"So, you're working for them now, huh? Traitorous bastard!"

"Ah, no. I'm working for _me_, but we have similar goals. And you really ought to come up with a more original insult. Bastard is getting a little repetitive."

"Fuck you!" Megan hissed, straining against his hold, her struggles becoming more intense as Danko appeared in view. "Both of you!"

"We're wasting time here," Danko sighed, looking pointedly at Sylar. "Just take her out."

Megan gasped, and implored Sylar with her eyes; she certainly wasn't going to beg in front of Danko. "What changed you back, Gabriel?" she whispered. "You were pretty okay before. Wasn't your dad what you were expecting, and now you're taking it out on everyone, is that it, huh?"

Sylar cocked his head to one side as he considered her words, his eyes dancing with amusement. "My father was exactly what I was expecting, so I guess that shoots that argument down in flames. You wanna try another theory?"

"What would your mother think, you killing people the way your father killed her!" Megan hissed. "Knowing that her precious son was a carbon copy of that bastard?" She involuntarily flinched as Sylar's face hardened, and pain coursed through her body, then everything went black.

________


End file.
